Read Online Steel 6: Blackthorne MC #6 by Carrie Cox - Free Book Online

1

    Ella
    Jackson was talking to me. I knew that because his lips were moving, but I couldn’t process the words coming out of his mouth.  
    I was finding it extremely hard to come to terms with the fact Jackson had thrown a hood over my head and bundled me into the back of a truck.  
    I stared around at the truck’s interior. I’d never seen it before.
    “Where did you get the truck?”
    Jackson tilted his head, studying me, looking at me as if I was a little crazy. He was probably right. It wasn’t the first question most people would ask if they were in my position.
    “I borrowed it.”  
    Jackson said the words slowly as if he understood I was having trouble taking all of this in.
    “I’m sorry about the way I got you out of there, Ella. But I wasn’t sure you would trust me enough to agree to come with me.”  
    He reached out to brush my hair back from my face, and I flinched away from him. His hand fell back down to his lap.
    “What are you planning to do to me?”
    Jackson frowned, and he shook his head. “ Do to you?” he repeated. “Nothing. Ella, I’m getting you out of there, away from Blackthorne.”
    I stared back at him blankly, still not convinced I could trust him.
    “Ella, you are safe now. I’m going to take you to the sheriff’s office, then head back and tell them that you ran away. We are less than a mile away from the town we visited.”
    I was still in shock. I was so sure it had been Nick who’d taken me. He was the one who had promised to get me out of there.
    “Why are you helping me?” I asked Jackson.
    “Because you need to get home.”
    I nodded miserably. “But they’ll come after me.”
    Jackson shook his head. “They won’t, not in New York. Once you’re out of Nevada, you’ll be out of Victor Blackthorne’s reach. He wouldn’t dare make a move in New York without the backup of his crew.”
    I licked my lips. “But what about Nick. He’ll —”  
    “Don’t be dumb, Ella.” Jackson’s voice was sharp.
    His words stung because I knew I was being dumb.  
    I should have been grateful at the chance to get away, but instead, I felt hollow inside at the realization I would never seen Nick again.
    I swallowed and ran my hand through my tangled curls, trying to get a hold of myself.
    As my mind began to clear, and I could think logically again, I looked up at Jackson. “So you are the undercover cop?”
    Jackson smiled. “Ten out of ten, Ella.”
    I tried to take it all in. Jackson was probably the person Victor trusted the most, even over his own brother, Damien, and he had absolutely no idea that Jackson was betraying him.
    “Aren’t you scared of what Victor will do when he finds out?”
    The smile left Jackson’s face, and his strong jaw clenched. “I’ll be fine.”
    Would he? Jackson was tough, confident and sharp, but was he a match for the evil, sadistic Victor Blackthorne?  
    I chewed on a thumbnail, something I tended to do when I was deep in thought and nervous.
    After a moment, Jackson patted me on the shoulder. “I’m going to drive into town now, Ella. Are you ready?”
    As ready as I would ever be, I supposed. I nodded.  
    I couldn’t believe I was actually going to get out of here. This time tomorrow, I could be back in New York. Free.
    Jackson drove along the main street and into town. The sheriff’s office was situated a short distance from the main street. Jackson turned left just after Terry’s coffee shop and then pulled up outside the sheriff’s building.
    Jackson turned off the engine and turned to face me. “This is it. Ready?”
    I suddenly felt panicked, and I shook my head. “No, not yet. Can we get a coffee first and talk about it?”  
    Jackson frowned and shook his head. “You know Nick doesn’t deserve this devotion, right?”
    I felt my cheeks grow hot, and I looked down at my hands clenched in my lap. “I don’t know what you mean.”  
    I wasn’t going to admit it, not even to myself.
    “Well, I would